The great poet, Maya Angelou, penned the ever-popular poem, "Phenomenal Woman". When I ponder the powerful yet humble sacred sisters who have crossed my life path, I realize that I have been blessed to have met and related to a huge bouquet of phenomenal women souls.
One of the most exquisite flowers in that bouquet is the Bahamian cultural blossom, Vera Chase. President of the Commonwealth Writers of The Bahamas, Vera, along with hard-working members of the organization, have done so very much to bless the writers of the lovely Bahamas, both youth and elders. They host booksignings, writers' conferences, networking events, retreats, contests, lectures and workshops in varied venues, including schools in Nassau and the Family Islands. In addition, the organization even hosts a radio show for writers appropriately called "Writing the Region". (Will be so-oo-oo glad when we can tune in via the Internet.)
A native of Cat Island, one of The Bahamas' culture-rich Family Islands, Vera is not only a mentor to aspiring authors but is the literary mother of a number of titles herself, including the work, PIRATES PARADISE. She also is supremely creative in the kitchen, stirring up some tasty pastries and tropical jams that will make you smile all the way down to the soul level.
I adore the soul of this magnificent sacred sister because despite her numerous talents and myriad accomplishments, she remains ever warm and wise, humble and humorous, spiritual and sensational. Can't wait to get back to Nassau's Labour Day Junkanoo Rushout and all of the trimmings (including cracked conch) and some of Mrs. Remelda Davis' delectable fish dinners with my Bahamian storytelling Junkanoo husband, "Papa" Newton, as Ira Storr sings "Down at the Fish Fry" (Arawak Cay.)
Vera will be off the island for a short spell during the Labour Day period because Cat Island's first bank will be opening, and this fabulous literary lady and lover of God, has been among the first honorees invited to be present. Why?--because as a long-time bank employee, Vera deplored the fact that there was no adequate banking system in Cat Island and that many of the folks there were still burying their savings in the ground near palm trees! She spoke frequently of this need to the movers and shakers in the financial sector, wheels were eventually set in motion, and now at the perfect time--Labour Day--the islanders will be blessed with a bank right on their home grounds. The great Bahamian patriot, Sir Milo Butler, whom Vera, an entrancing storyteller, met and served as a young bank teller must be smiling in the Heavens.
(You should hear Vera tell the spellbinding story of when Sir Milo strode into her workplace and demanded that more Black Bahamians be hired in positions of prominence there.) I'm a storyteller myself so I appreciate a great ancestral story, and as my Georgia-born grand-mama, Anna Pearl, might've said had she met my Bahamian sister storyteller, Vera, "That chile can sho' nuff tell up some stories!" As cross-cultural artpreneurs, Vera has joined the National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS) on this side of the Atlantic and I will be joining and continuing to support The Commonwealth Writers of The Bahamas. Sir Milo Butler is a great Bahamian contributor of bygone days. Vera Chase is a contemporary great Bahamian contributor of this day and age. I recognize her as one of God's artistic earth angels. (BTW, Vera's blog, Cat Island Writer, can be found on Yahoo!)
